Shocking decision. £70m plus for a crap player.
Another example of the debacle of recruitment at this club.
And now we’ve doubled down on Hoijland by getting an even more useless player in Zerksee.
Well he's certainly not a crap player. We don't know how good he can be with a good team around him.
All strikers need décent service to thrive.
Im not sure who is best, or will be best, between him and Watkins.
Feel it's way too early to be making solid judgements on Hojlund, I watched games where he looked very promising and others where I felt he lacked certain skills but he's been in and out the team, had a lack of structure and support from team mates and is still young
Obvs each to their own but I will have a better idea where he will be in 12-18 months, Watkins has been excellent no doubt
Watkins is 29 in a couple of months. Hojland is 21.
comment by Fabián Caballero (U1734)
posted 8 minutes ago
Watkins is 29 in a couple of months. Hojland is 21.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
And there is that part
Watkins is an average striker who's had an average career. Hojiund is just starting out, wait and see maybe.
Watkins is a very good player. But he is playing in a team in good form under a manager with a clear game plan. There are many players in the United team/squad that will look better if and when we get a better manager in.
All you have to do is take a look at the number of shots Watkins had last season, compared to Hojlund, to get an idea of what the latter is up against. Watkins had 107 shots compared to Hojlund's 38.
I am confident that Hojlund has the ability to reach a higher level than Watkins. But he is going to struggle to score much more than double figures in the PL unless we start giving him better service.
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 6 minutes ago
Watkins is an average striker who's had an average career. Hojiund is just starting out, wait and see maybe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
exactly, hojlund has most of his average career ahead of him
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 9 minutes ago
Watkins is a very good player. But he is playing in a team in good form under a manager with a clear game plan. There are many players in the United team/squad that will look better if and when we get a better manager in.
All you have to do is take a look at the number of shots Watkins had last season, compared to Hojlund, to get an idea of what the latter is up against. Watkins had 107 shots compared to Hojlund's 38.
I am confident that Hojlund has the ability to reach a higher level than Watkins. But he is going to struggle to score much more than double figures in the PL unless we start giving him better service.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He is the kind of manager you're crying out for
Damn Utd fans are harsh these days.
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 19 minutes ago
Watkins is an average striker who's had an average career. Hojiund is just starting out, wait and see maybe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
How is he average? He’s a guaranteed 20+ goal/assist a season striker and can hold the ball up and get involved with building attacks. Never injured either unlike Hoijland.
Hojlund should have been a Solskjaer kind of signing. Brought in to supplement two good and experienced forwards. As it is I think it's a little unfair to expect one so young to carry a forward line.
I’d say there’s an argument for Hojlund being your best player.
comment by SuperFrank (U15103)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 9 minutes ago
Watkins is a very good player. But he is playing in a team in good form under a manager with a clear game plan. There are many players in the United team/squad that will look better if and when we get a better manager in.
All you have to do is take a look at the number of shots Watkins had last season, compared to Hojlund, to get an idea of what the latter is up against. Watkins had 107 shots compared to Hojlund's 38.
I am confident that Hojlund has the ability to reach a higher level than Watkins. But he is going to struggle to score much more than double figures in the PL unless we start giving him better service.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He is the kind of manager you're crying out for
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Indeed. Can't see him wanting to move right now though. Although I expect he will want another chance to prove himself at a top PL team again.
Watkins aint even the best striker at Villa
comment by Fabián Caballero (U1734)
posted 1 hour, 6 minutes ago
Watkins is 29 in a couple of months. Hojland is 21.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly. You don’t buy Watkins when you’re targeting a PL title around 2028.
When Watkins was Hoijlunds age he was in the championship getting 10 goals in 45 games.
Hoijlund got 10 from 30 in the prem league.
I would be v surprised if Hoijlund doesnt progress well beyond Watkins
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 10 minutes ago
When Watkins was Hoijlunds age he was in the championship getting 10 goals in 45 games.
Hoijlund got 10 from 30 in the prem league.
I would be v surprised if Hoijlund doesnt progress well beyond Watkins
----------------------------------------------------------------------
harsh af arent they
Forget Watkins. You could've got Isak a year earlier for about 20M less than you paid for Antony.
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 1 minute ago
Forget Watkins. You could've got Isak a year earlier for about 20M less than you paid for Antony.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
but would Isak be world class in the no 10 role like Mr Antony ... I think not
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
Forget Watkins. You could've got Isak a year earlier for about 20M less than you paid for Antony.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This.
Villa wouldn’t have sold us Watkins.
You'd have to worry about the thought process if United were weighing up Watkins vs Hojlund as transfer alternatives. Watkins = in his prime, likely to be declining as a player when he reaches the end of his contract, no way he was available on the cheap as he was the chief goal scoring asset of a PL club on the rise, and only two years into his contract at Villa. Hojlund = young player viewed as having big potential but still quite raw.
The club had fairly obviously taken a view last summer that it needed to reduce the age profile of the squad and build toward a title challenge in a few years. I guess Robb's view is that the strategy was flawed and we ought to have bought players who are peaking now. Personally, I think that might have elevated us a bit in the table but certainly not to title-challenging status, and then left us in 3-4 years with more declining players than we can afford to replace with quality alternatives, just as some of our young talent is coming into their prime.
But it's obvious that the success of the Hojlund transfer will be measured in whether he reaches and sustains a higher level than Watkins over his whole United career. I don't think the people who took the decision to sign him thought he should be expected to score more goals than Watkins in his first season or two (although he might have done if he'd be fit enough to apply that impressive goal:shot ratio across more minutes).
Wasn’t Hojlund signed pre-Ineos or have I got that wrong?
Sign in if you want to comment
Watkins vs Hojlund
Page 1 of 2
posted on 9/10/24
Shocking decision. £70m plus for a crap player.
Another example of the debacle of recruitment at this club.
posted on 9/10/24
And now we’ve doubled down on Hoijland by getting an even more useless player in Zerksee.
posted on 9/10/24
Well he's certainly not a crap player. We don't know how good he can be with a good team around him.
All strikers need décent service to thrive.
Im not sure who is best, or will be best, between him and Watkins.
posted on 9/10/24
Feel it's way too early to be making solid judgements on Hojlund, I watched games where he looked very promising and others where I felt he lacked certain skills but he's been in and out the team, had a lack of structure and support from team mates and is still young
Obvs each to their own but I will have a better idea where he will be in 12-18 months, Watkins has been excellent no doubt
posted on 9/10/24
Watkins is 29 in a couple of months. Hojland is 21.
posted on 9/10/24
comment by Fabián Caballero (U1734)
posted 8 minutes ago
Watkins is 29 in a couple of months. Hojland is 21.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
And there is that part
posted on 9/10/24
Watkins is an average striker who's had an average career. Hojiund is just starting out, wait and see maybe.
posted on 9/10/24
Watkins is a very good player. But he is playing in a team in good form under a manager with a clear game plan. There are many players in the United team/squad that will look better if and when we get a better manager in.
All you have to do is take a look at the number of shots Watkins had last season, compared to Hojlund, to get an idea of what the latter is up against. Watkins had 107 shots compared to Hojlund's 38.
I am confident that Hojlund has the ability to reach a higher level than Watkins. But he is going to struggle to score much more than double figures in the PL unless we start giving him better service.
posted on 9/10/24
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 6 minutes ago
Watkins is an average striker who's had an average career. Hojiund is just starting out, wait and see maybe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
exactly, hojlund has most of his average career ahead of him
posted on 9/10/24
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 9 minutes ago
Watkins is a very good player. But he is playing in a team in good form under a manager with a clear game plan. There are many players in the United team/squad that will look better if and when we get a better manager in.
All you have to do is take a look at the number of shots Watkins had last season, compared to Hojlund, to get an idea of what the latter is up against. Watkins had 107 shots compared to Hojlund's 38.
I am confident that Hojlund has the ability to reach a higher level than Watkins. But he is going to struggle to score much more than double figures in the PL unless we start giving him better service.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He is the kind of manager you're crying out for
posted on 9/10/24
Damn Utd fans are harsh these days.
posted on 9/10/24
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 19 minutes ago
Watkins is an average striker who's had an average career. Hojiund is just starting out, wait and see maybe.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
How is he average? He’s a guaranteed 20+ goal/assist a season striker and can hold the ball up and get involved with building attacks. Never injured either unlike Hoijland.
posted on 9/10/24
Hojlund should have been a Solskjaer kind of signing. Brought in to supplement two good and experienced forwards. As it is I think it's a little unfair to expect one so young to carry a forward line.
posted on 9/10/24
I’d say there’s an argument for Hojlund being your best player.
posted on 9/10/24
comment by SuperFrank (U15103)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 9 minutes ago
Watkins is a very good player. But he is playing in a team in good form under a manager with a clear game plan. There are many players in the United team/squad that will look better if and when we get a better manager in.
All you have to do is take a look at the number of shots Watkins had last season, compared to Hojlund, to get an idea of what the latter is up against. Watkins had 107 shots compared to Hojlund's 38.
I am confident that Hojlund has the ability to reach a higher level than Watkins. But he is going to struggle to score much more than double figures in the PL unless we start giving him better service.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He is the kind of manager you're crying out for
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Indeed. Can't see him wanting to move right now though. Although I expect he will want another chance to prove himself at a top PL team again.
posted on 9/10/24
Watkins aint even the best striker at Villa
posted on 9/10/24
comment by Fabián Caballero (U1734)
posted 1 hour, 6 minutes ago
Watkins is 29 in a couple of months. Hojland is 21.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly. You don’t buy Watkins when you’re targeting a PL title around 2028.
posted on 9/10/24
When Watkins was Hoijlunds age he was in the championship getting 10 goals in 45 games.
Hoijlund got 10 from 30 in the prem league.
I would be v surprised if Hoijlund doesnt progress well beyond Watkins
posted on 9/10/24
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 10 minutes ago
When Watkins was Hoijlunds age he was in the championship getting 10 goals in 45 games.
Hoijlund got 10 from 30 in the prem league.
I would be v surprised if Hoijlund doesnt progress well beyond Watkins
----------------------------------------------------------------------
harsh af arent they
posted on 9/10/24
Forget Watkins. You could've got Isak a year earlier for about 20M less than you paid for Antony.
posted on 9/10/24
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 1 minute ago
Forget Watkins. You could've got Isak a year earlier for about 20M less than you paid for Antony.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
but would Isak be world class in the no 10 role like Mr Antony ... I think not
posted on 9/10/24
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
Forget Watkins. You could've got Isak a year earlier for about 20M less than you paid for Antony.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This.
posted on 9/10/24
Villa wouldn’t have sold us Watkins.
posted on 9/10/24
You'd have to worry about the thought process if United were weighing up Watkins vs Hojlund as transfer alternatives. Watkins = in his prime, likely to be declining as a player when he reaches the end of his contract, no way he was available on the cheap as he was the chief goal scoring asset of a PL club on the rise, and only two years into his contract at Villa. Hojlund = young player viewed as having big potential but still quite raw.
The club had fairly obviously taken a view last summer that it needed to reduce the age profile of the squad and build toward a title challenge in a few years. I guess Robb's view is that the strategy was flawed and we ought to have bought players who are peaking now. Personally, I think that might have elevated us a bit in the table but certainly not to title-challenging status, and then left us in 3-4 years with more declining players than we can afford to replace with quality alternatives, just as some of our young talent is coming into their prime.
But it's obvious that the success of the Hojlund transfer will be measured in whether he reaches and sustains a higher level than Watkins over his whole United career. I don't think the people who took the decision to sign him thought he should be expected to score more goals than Watkins in his first season or two (although he might have done if he'd be fit enough to apply that impressive goal:shot ratio across more minutes).
posted on 9/10/24
Wasn’t Hojlund signed pre-Ineos or have I got that wrong?
Page 1 of 2